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M P-21 Impacts Motorcoach Safety and Transportation Planning Role BY ALEX ROMAN, Managing Editor Bill includes N.Y. Sen. Charles Schumer's well-publicized "Grading System," changes in how safety measures will be implemented and how the industry does business with public transit agencies. W WHILE THE SIGNING OF THE SUR- FACE transportation bill (MAP-21) in July is bringing stability to the transit industry as they move forward with capital projects over the next two years, it also focused on the commer- cial vehicle industry in a way that has never been seen before. The bill mandated that an easy-to- use grading system, similar to those use for restaurants in several cities, be created to make it easier for consum- ers to make decisions when hiring a commercial company. The legisla- tion also created a multi-tiered mo- torcoach safety program, both inside and outside the vehicle, and required public and private entities forge part- nerships to solve transportation is- sues in communities around the na- tion. "We got several things in MAP-21 that we asked for," says Clyde Hart Jr., sr. VP, government affairs and policy, for the American Bus Association (ABA). "Not everything, obviously, it is legislation. In this case, though, we 68 < mETRO mAGAZINE SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2012 are pretty happy with the results." "To me this is the perfect example of how Congress should work," adds United Motorcoach Association (UMA) President/CEO Victor Parra. "This was a real partisan decision. It involved compromise and give and take, and that's what it takes to govern this country." "GRADING SYSTEM" One highly publicized aspect of MAP-21 was the late addition of Sen. Charles E. Schumer's (D-NY) pro- posal mandating the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMC- SA) to create a simple and under- standable rating system that allows passengers to compare the safety per- formance of each bus company and to annually reevaluate carriers that serve primarily urban areas with high passenger loads, such as New York. The bill also requires the U.S De- partment of Transportation (U.S. DOT) to improve the accessibility of the ratings to the public and to con- sider requirements that ratings be posted on buses, at terminals and at all points of sale. Schumer is urging the FMCSA to make that safety rating plan a letter grade system, similar to that used in restaurants in several cit- ies around the U.S. "Bus companies will no longer be able to mask poor safety records, and consumers are now able to see, before they purchase a ticket, whether the bus they are considering getting on is a safe one," Schumer said in a state- ment following the passage of the bill. "This is a signifi cant victory for consumers and will serve as a major incentive for operators to get serious about safety, or risk losing passen- gers." Schumer's bill has for the most part been well-received by the industry. "We're all for anything that makes it easier for customers and consum- ers to fi nd good operators, and if you tried to use the FMCSA's system, it could be daunting sometimes," says Hart. metro-magazine.com